I’m invited again

I can’t say I’m a big name in the sff business — known, certainly, but not a name to conjure with — but every now and then I get a little validation, like being written up in The New York Review of Science Fiction or being shortlisted for a juried award.

Over the weekend, I received another one of those affirmations: super-editor Gardner Dozois invited me to send him a story for an upcoming theme anthology to be called The Book of Swords. Assuming Gardner likes what I’ll send him, I’ll be joining K.J. Parker, Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb, Garth Nix, C.J. Cherryh, Elizabeth Bear, Ellen Kushner, Ken Liu, Danial Abraham, Cecelia Holland, and Peter S. Beagle in the table of contents. And probably more big names who have yet to commit.

Over the past several years, I’ve been in several invitation-only anthos, including the megaseller and World Fantasy Ward-shortlisted Rogues, for which I’ve actually received royalty payments over and above the generous advance. I’ve also been in Old Mars and Old Venus and Songs of the Dying Earth.

And while those appearances haven’t made me a household name in fandom, they’ve brought me new readers, many of whom have stuck around. As I often say to fans who email me with kind words, I appreciate the encouragement.